On the morning of September 11th, I conducted the 19th SKIFF trip of the 2014 season by welcoming aboard siblings Carrolyn and Bubby Lascano .  SKIFF (Soldiers’ Kids Involved in Fishing Fun) trips are provided free of charge to families whose children are separated from a parent due to that parent’s military service thanks to the Austin Fly Fishers and a network of supportive individuals from all over the U.S.  All it takes is a phone call from a parent to me at 254-368-7411 to reserve a date.

Carrolyn Lascano, age 5, holds a nice Stillhouse channel catfish, while brother, Bubby (who is NOT fond of having his picture taken!), negotiates a package of string cheese.

Today’s trip really exemplifies what SKIFF is all about.  To understand why, you need to know a bit about the Lascano family.  Danny and Kacie (dad and mom) have two children, Carrolyn (5 years old) and Bubby (4 years old).  Danny is a Staff Sergeant in the U.S. Army, and, for the last 12 months he has been deployed to Kuwait with C Battery of the 1-44 Field Artillery.  It would be difficult enough doing life essentially as a single parent of a 4 & 5 year old, but, Kacie did more than that — she graciously navigated this time being a great mom to Carrolyn and to Bubby, who is autistic.  Raising an autistic child single-handedly takes an extra helping of patience and care and energy.  So, upon learning of Kacie’s situation, I offered to take the kids fishing to give Kacie a rest.

Upon hearing of my offer, Kacie had a plan — to take me up on this offer within days of Danny’s return to the States, so she could prepare the house for his return without the kids underfoot.  Today, that plan worked out wonderfully!  My wife, Rebecca, who is a registered nurse, came along with me on the SKIFF trip and actually picked up and dropped off Carrolyn and Bubby before and after the “on-the-water” portion of today’s big adventure took place.

This was all timed well, as Rebecca not only needed to get onto Fort Hood as the kids’ school day was ending, but was doing so on September 11th, when Fort Hood becomes more challenging to gain access to due to heightened security measures in place to thwart terrorism.

The pickup at 3:30p went off without a hitch, the kids boarded my boat at 4:15p, at 4:32p we landed the first of 41 fish the kids would catch today,  and at 4:46p Kacie got a text message from Rebecca with her kids holding fish and grinning (well, as much as Bubby, who doesn’t like having his photo taken, would grin!).   At 5:15p Bubby got fidgety in the confines of the boat, so, he and Mrs. Rebecca went “shoreline exploring” while Carrolyn and I stayed hard after the very cooperative white bass.  By 6:45 Bubby was getting worn out and the novelty of catching fish had run its course for Carrolyn.  We headed back to shore and, long story short, Mrs. Rebecca delivered them safe and sound to their now-tidy home for their normal 7:30p bedtime.

Along the way, both kids landed the very first fish of their lifetimes, so, each will be receiving a TPWD “First Fish Award” through Mr. Ron Smith at TPWD who very capably manages that program.

Kacie was so happy for her kids and so appreciative for the little bit of downtime!

This, to me, is what SKIFF is all about … letting our soldier’s know they are appreciated, offering an opportunity and a respite for the spouses left behind, and introducing kids to what can be the pursuit of a lifetime while so doing!!

My hat is off to all of the Friends of SKIFF and the Austin Fly Fishers for being the engine behind all of this!

 

TALLY = 41 FISH, all caught and released

 

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TODAY’S CONDITIONS/NOTES:

Start Time: 3;30p

End Time:  7:30pm

Air Temp. @ Trip’s Start:  91F

Water Surface Temp:  86.1

Wind Speed & Direction:  NNE9-12

Sky Conditions:  40% clouds on a fair sky.

Other: GT=0

 

AREAS FISHED WITH SUCCESS:

 

**Area bounded by Areas 1440 to 1436 to 465 gave up every last fish we caught today

 

Bob Maindelle

Owner, Holding the Line Guide Service

254.368.7411 (call or text)

Salado, TX

www.HoldingTheLineGuideService.com